--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have abandoned so many projects but in…" description: "\"I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real children - I love my children and I would never s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg" --- # I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I… ![“I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real children - I love my children and I would never sacrifice them for anything - I had to find a way to simultaneously be a mother and wife and fulfill my duties and still be true to myself as a…” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg) > “I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real children - I love my children and I would never sacrifice them for anything - I had to find a way to simultaneously be a mother and wife and fulfill my duties and still be true to myself as a writer.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing personal responsibilities with creative identity requires intentional boundaries and self‑recognition. **In simple terms:** Balancing family and art needs clear limits. Key Takeaway Set boundaries to honor both roles. Themes family creativity identity balance Mood reflective determined Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - parenting - writing - career planning - relationship management Key Concepts self‑care role integration personal authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your creative time? - What boundaries help you stay true? A Different Perspective May compromise artistic freedom if boundaries blur. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [80s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) [Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandoned/) [Being married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) [Being true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-true/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [I love my children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love-my-children/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-married-448867/) [Love Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-children-303134/) [Love my children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-my-children/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother And Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-and-wife/) [My children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-children/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) [Projects 80S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects-80s-5650085/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Simultaneously Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simultaneously-mother-5650086/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [True to myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-to-myself/) [True Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-writer-675148/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Is anyone saying same-sex couples can't love each other? I love my children. I love my friends, my brother. Heck, I even love my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/is-anyone-saying-same-sex-couples-can-t-love-each-other-i-love-my/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Freedom has never been free... I love my children and I love my wife with all my heart. And I would die, die gladly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medgar-evers/freedom-has-never-been-free-i-love-my-children-and-i-love-my-wife/) [Medgar Evers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medgar-evers/) > [I made a terrible mistake. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-made-a-terrible-mistake-i-got-caught-up-in-the-excitement-of-the/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I love my children beyond all reason. They're my joy, even when they're wild with kid energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meloni/i-love-my-children-beyond-all-reason-they-re-my-joy-even-when-they-re/) [Christopher Meloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meloni/) > [I love skiing, I love the sun, I love my children, I love my grandchildren, I love my family and friends... and whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/i-love-skiing-i-love-the-sun-i-love-my-children-i-love-my/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-mother-s-love-for-her-child-is-like-nothing-else-in-the-world/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [When I say that I love you, I don't say it out of habit or to make conversation. I say it to remind you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn/when-i-say-that-i-love-you-i-don-t-say-it-out-of-habit-or-to-make/) [Kaitlyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn/) > [If a good mother is one who loves her child more than anyone else in the world, I am not a good mother. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/if-a-good-mother-is-one-who-loves-her-child-more-than-anyone-else-in/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [One of the things I've learnt is not to depend on there being a woman in your life to make it work. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/one-of-the-things-i-ve-learnt-is-not-to-depend-on-there-being-a-woman/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I've never loved anybody the way I love my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-ve-never-loved-anybody-the-way-i-love-my-children/) [Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/) > [Cleaning up with children around is like shoveling during a blizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-culkin-banning/cleaning-up-with-children-around-is-like-shoveling-during-a-blizzard/) [Margaret Culkin Banning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-culkin-banning/) > [I love my children unconditionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kemp/i-love-my-children-unconditionally/) [Gary Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kemp/) > [Children do learn what they live. Then they grow up to live what they've learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/children-do-learn-what-they-live-then-they-grow-up-to-live-what-they/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [I love my husband more than I love my children,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-love-my-husband-more-than-i-love-my-children/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [You're making the grant of affection, forbearance, mercy, out of your own experience and, of course, out of cultural tradition. You're saying, to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/you-re-making-the-grant-of-affection-forbearance-mercy-out-of-your/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) [Justus Kohncke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-kohncke/) > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) [Browse all 488 80s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real children - I love my children and I would never sacrifice them for anything - I had to find a way to simultaneously be a mother and wife and fulfill my duties and still be true to myself as a writer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in-the-80s-when-i-left-public/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in-the-80s-when-i-left-public/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/patti-smith-394_80s_i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in_3149899.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real…” — Patti Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Patti Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have abandoned so many projects...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in-the-80s-when-i-left-public/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-have-abandoned-so-many-projects-but-in-the-80s-when-i-left-public/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```